Articles

A Touching Story

For fifteen years I had been a professional guitarist. It was my livelihood and one of my greatest passions. All that changed when I was involved in a car crash. Three of my fingers were badly broken as well as my wrist being fractured and two ligaments in my off hand being torn. The car crash was at low speeds and was low impact but I was not wearing my safety belt and ended up bracing myself against the dashboard, causing my hands and arms to bear the brunt of the impact. Before this accident I was having some wrist pain from over usage but this pain was nothing compared to the damage done from the car accident. It was obvious, I would need surgery and needed to find the right specialist that understood older bodies. The process was quick because the people at the hospital knew a hand and wrist specialist that would be able to advise me on the best course of action.

Unfortunately, surgery was required and I was scared to go under the knife. Like most, I was apprehensive about what the resulting pain would be like. The hand surgeon, Dr. John Knight was kind and understanding doctor who made the process as pain free as he could. All I could feel for the following hours was a stiffness and a numbness. The brace he outfitted my arm with was on for some time, but eventually was able to meet and start sessions with a physical therapist.

It was a lot of emotional pain to be away from playing guitar for so long. All I could do was dictate my song ideas into a tape recorder and hope that I would be able to form the chords later. Eventually I could play guitar again. Take the time to find the right specialist for you and one that understands everyone’s body is different. Especially as they age.